Govt may go slow on quota in pvt colleges

NEW DELHI: After jostling with litigation and protests over the last two years over implement reservation for other backward classes (OBC) in higher education, the government may now go slow in bringing private institutes under the ambit of quota.
 
Highly-placed sources said though human resource development (HRD) minister Arjun Singh wants to bring the private institutes quota bill in the monsoon session of parliament, the political masters are unwilling to stir the hornet’s nest, fearing a fresh bout of protests and criticism ahead of the Lok Sabha and state polls.

“The bill is still at the stage of deliberations. We are holding talks and consultations with the private sector and other stake holders to build consensus. The private institutes lobby is also building pressure on the government to go slow,” said the source.
 
Sources said that the ministry of human resource development was also consulting legal experts since one of the Supreme Court judges hearing the OBC reservation case had observed that caste-based quotas could not be forced in private institutes.

So while the whole exercise of OBC reservation in government institutes started with an intention to bring the private institutes, both aided and unaided, under the quota purview, the government may actually leave the job for the next government to complete.

Once cleared, quotas will affect at least 6,000 private institutes and colleges, including 20 universities.